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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · band · patient · stem · fan · content · ball · cabinet

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — the fish
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com